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Babbo review - can you stand another?!

So if everyone can stand another glowing Babbo review, thanks for indulging me. My SO and I went on Saturday night for the first time and the experience was as good as we hoped it would be and then some. We were worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but it delivered exactly what we wanted.

We started our meal with a glass of prosecco while we looked over the menu. There had been a fair amount of research done prior to our dinner so we were familiar with the offerings but still ended up stumped because frankly we wanted it all. In the end, we decided to go with 1 app, 2 pastas, 1 main and 2 desserts and it was more than enough food. We also ordered a bottle of Chianti that the sommelier recommended to us and the wine was incredibly smooth and beautiful to drink. It was actually a bottle that they typically serve as a magnum but they offered to decant the equivalent of one bottle for us which was really quite nice.

So here’s what we ate:

Crispy pig’s foot – we’re generally not very adventurous eaters in this sense (we don’t eat offal or other spare parts like that) but felt like we should get it because we knew it was one of the signature dishes. We were not disappointed – the texture of the meat was soft and chewy with the contrast of the crispy exterior. The rice beans accompanying the meat were fantastic – salty with a nice note of mint. I imagine those beans were soaked individually since each were pristine. Nothing like how beans look when I soak dried ones at home!

Goose liver ravioli – this dish is unbelievable. The goose liver filling was rich and decadent, and the balsamic and butter sauce offered a nice level of sweetness without being cloying. We absolutely loved this dish. If I could have gotten away with it, I wanted to lick my plate.

Chianti stained pappardelle with wild boar ragu – fantastic comfort food and a nice contrast to the ravioli that we had just before this pasta. We really liked how they spaced out the pastas to make it feel like 2 separate courses and glad that the ravioli came first. Though we would have been happy to get it for dessert as well.

Lamb chops – these were cooked perfectly medium rare, tender and with just enough fat to give that luscious flavor. It was also a really big portion - probably 8 chops in all split between the two of us. The grilled onion it was served with was gorgeous and butter soft. We also ordered the contorni of sweet corn fregula which was salty and rich and sweet all at the same time.

Strawberry crostata and lemon pound cake – we rarely order two desserts when we go out, but couldn’t help ourselves. Both were outstanding. The strawberries were impossibly fresh and sweet, the lemon pound cake was tart and bracing. Both made all the more enjoyable by the moscato d’asti we had as our dessert wine.

Since 100% perfect is hard to achieve, my only very minor complaint was the length of time between the 2 pasta courses. I was getting worried that maybe they forgot about us during this time because it seemed like the pacing was a bit too long. In the end it was fine, but gave us a little anxiety for the moment. Aside from this little blip, the service was attentive and professional and we felt very well cared for. All we want is to go back as soon as we can!

I can certainly stand another, what a lovely review! Going in 2 weeks on a saturday after slaving away on the phone for a reservation! After this review I can looking forward to the goose liver ravioli and crostata.....

I love tripe but that's the only dish I didn't care for at Babbo-bit diissappointed but found a great preparation at Quest on the UWS which was very savory. Its on thier regular menu-a bit rich however.

I was at Babbo last night and ordered the goose liver ravioli. You're right - the goose liver ravioli was almost orgasmic. I could not get enough of it - it was so rich and smooth! My dining companions had the beef cheek ravioli and the pappardelle with wild boar ragu - and while they were good, they tasted almost bland after the richness of the goose liver ravioli.

As appetizers we also had the crispy pig's foot, the lamb tongue, and the grilled octopus. The pig's foot was very unusual in its texture, but the surprising favorite was the grilled octopus. Perfectly grilled, with subtle sweetness.